U.S. English Foundation Research
SWEDEN
Language Research
1. Legislation: Legislation dealing with the use of languages
The basic principles of the Swedish Constitution state as follows: “Opportunities should be promoted for ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities to preserve and develop a cultural and social life of their own”. This means that Finnish is promoted, i.e. it is taught at school and its existence has been recognized. However, Finnish has not been given a full official status in Sweden, except that of an immigrant language. Finnish speakers cannot deal with the administration using their own language.
The new Swedish legislation guaranteeing the right to use the Sami, Finnish and Meänkieli languages in several spheres of the public life came into force on April 1, 1999. The objective of the law is to strengthen the use and the presence of the above-mentioned languages in their native territories. Such laws, proposed by the Swedish government a year ago, regulate the right to use these languages in the scopes of public administration, in court houses and in pre-school and geriatrics activities. The new legislation, which responds to the unrecognized Swedish multilingual reality, is considered a step towards the fulfillment of the articles from the European Charter of Regional or Minority Languages, which had been signed and ratified by Sweden on February 9, 2000.
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Updated (January 2000)
After the approval of the project in 1999 a new Swedish legislation guaranteeing the right to use the Sami, Finnish and Meänkieli languages in several spheres of the public life came into force on April 1, 2000.
According to the Ministry of Culture the objective of this law is to strengthen the use and the presence of the abovementioned languages in the territories considered as their own. The new legislation, which responds to so far unrecognized Swedish multilingual reality, is considered a step towards the fulfillment of the European Charter of Regional or Minority Languages which had been signed and ratified by Sweden on February 9, 2000, and which came into force on June 1, 2000.
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Updated (November 2002)
SÁMI
As of April 1, 2000, legislation ensures the right to use Sámi when dealing with state authorities and courts in Sweden. The law applies to state, municipal, regional, and local authorities in the Sámi administrative area, which covers Kiruna, Gällivare, Jokkmokk, and Arjeplog.
According to the law, an individual has the right to use Sámi in oral and written communication with authorities and in the courts when a case is related to the administrative area.
The administrative area for the Sámi language includes the area where North and Lule Sámi are traditionally spoken. South Sámi is not covered by this legislation.
EDUCATIONAL LEGISLATION
Regulations concerning Sámi schools and education are gathered in the School Act. This Act, passed by the Swedish Parliament, specifies the basic regulations for education in all types of schools and provides the overall objectives and guidelines to design schools' programs. One of the regulations stipulates that the national curriculum for standard Swedish compulsory schools also applies to Sámi schools. The national curriculum specifies what knowledge students attending Sámi schools should have had beyond the standard curriculum of a regular compulsory school. The students of Sámi schools should be well versed in the Sámi cultural heritage and language. The Appendix of the School Act indicates a timetable for compulsory schools.
Additional regulations for the Sámi schools are determined by the National Agency for Education. In 1995, the National Agency for Education established a syllabus for the Sámi language and determined that other subjects will follow the standard syllabi for compulsory schools.
Sámi children are educated in the Sámi language up to the 6th grade. The Sámi School Board establishes criteria to enroll students in Sámi schools.
Source: Mercator Education, The Sámi language in Education in Sweden, http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_sami_in_sweden.htm
MEÄNKIELI AND SWEDEN FINNISH
Sweden lacks an official language de jure; however, since the late 18th and early 19th Century Swedish has been the de facto official language.
In the Constitution (RF 1976: Ch. 1, par. 2) support for the promotion of ethnic, linguistic and religious groups' characteristics is expressed.
In Tornedalen, Meänkieli and Finnish (Sweden Finnish) are official minority languages according to level 3 of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. Elsewhere in Sweden, Sweden Finnish is the official minority language according to the level 2.
EDUCATIONAL LEGISLATION
In reports produced by the Immigration Committee in 1974, it was stressed that the Swedish school system should support development of active bilingualism, i.e. a fairly high competence in both languages, among potentially bilingual (minority, immigrant, aboriginal/Sámi) children.
This later resulted in the Home Language Reform (1976). It was aimed at the development of Swedish as well as the retention and development of the home languages (later mother tongue). This policy also covered regional and minority languages.
After another committee recommendation on multiculturalism in Sweden in 1983 (in force since 1985), the Tornedalen children have been given a higher degree of support than the children of immigrants, among which the Sweden Finns were also included until 1994. Formation of minority language educational units in basic schools depended on the amount of children. Five pupils wishing to receive a mother tongue instruction in the municipality were enough to start a class/unit. Since 1985, that restriction no longer has applied to Meänkieli. Parents of Meänkieli-speaking children may require instruction in their mother tongue, irrespective of the number of children. Until 1991, municipalities in practice offered instruction even when the number of pupils was smaller, but after 1991 this has rarely happened.
THE SWEDISH EDUCATION ACT
The Swedish Education Act stipulates that all children and young people should have an access to education of equal value. This concerns all pupils, irrespective of gender, geographical place of residence or social or economic conditions. Language is not specifically mentioned.
Since the early 1960s, the School Act has prohibited that education in the language other than Swedish would create more than 50 percent of the whole time spent in a basic school. This regulation has been prolonged in recent education acts (SFS 1994:1194, SFS 1997:599, Ch. 2, par. 7).
Source: Mercator Education, The Finnic Languages in Education in Sweden, http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_meankieli_in_sweden.htm
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Updated (October 2003)
Two members of the Social Democrat group within the Swedish Parliament, who are also members of the Nordic Council, have recently submitted a motion to the Swedish National Legislative Chamber claiming that the official support for the Finnish language should be strengthened as the situation of Finns in Sweden has worsened during the last years.
The motion reminds that relations between both countries are now closer than ever and the respective presence of minorities on either side of the border is an added value from a linguistic, cultural and economic perspective.
Both states officially acknowledged their minority communities and they ratified the European Framework for the Protection of National Minorities (FCPNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML).
Source: Mercator News, October 2003, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm
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Updated (May 2007)
SWEDISH LANGUAGE POLICY
In December 2005, the Swedish Parliament passed a Swedish language policy with four objectives:
- Swedish is the majority language in Sweden.
- It should be possible to use Swedish in all areas of society.
- The language of government should be correct, simple and understandable.
- Everyone has the right to learn Swedish and foreign languages and to use their mother tongue.
Yet there is no law stipulating that Swedish is Sweden's official language. It is at present simply the de facto first language of Sweden. The new government has pledged to look into giving the language official status, but it could take until 2009 to do so.
Source: "Swedish fights rearguard action against English behemoth" In: The Local (Sweden's News in English), April 18,2007 http://www.thelocal.se/7036/
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Updated (March 2008)
GOVERNMENT RECEIVED PROPOSALS OF A NEW LANGUAGE LAW
Bengt-Åke Nilsson, who was appointed by the Ministry of Education in 2007 to examine the development of a language law in Sweden, has recently submitted a proposal on a new language law to the Government. According to the proposal, everyone who lives in Sweden should have access to the Swedish language and the position of Swedish, as the first language, ought to be regulated by a law.
Nilsson said that Swedish risks losing its own domain, especially in higher education and research. He added that if Swedish is to maintain its position in the scientific field, it is important to come up with Swedish terms instead of using a foreign word.
According to him, a person as an individual is free to use in his/her speech English expressions, but public authorities ought to make sure that they use the Swedish language to the extent possible, and that the language is used simply, clearly, and with attention to detail.
The report also suggests that Swedish civil servants representing Sweden in other countries speak Swedish if there is access to interpreters and that documents related to negotiations with other countries be written in Swedish.
The new language law is set to enter into force on 1 July 2009.
Source: The Local, News, March 18, 2008 http://www.thelocal.se/10568/20080318/
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Updated (April 2008)
THE STATUS OF SWEDISH AS THE OFFICIAL MAIN LANGUAGE COULD NOT BE IGNORED ANYMORE
After endless debates, Sweden will most likely pass a law that determines Swedish as the country's main language.
With English taking over as the official government and science language, Swedish is already losing ground. Moreover, since the country officially recognized Sámi, Finnish, Meänkieli, Romani and Yiddish as minority languages a few years ago, the need for Swedish to become official main language could not be ignored anymore, says the Language Council of Sweden.
Source: Sveriges Radio, April 14, 2008 Listen Here!
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Updated (June 2009)
NEW SWEDISH LANGUAGE ACT
In May 2009, the Swedish Parliament approved a new Swedish Language Act, which confirms Swedish as the main language in Sweden and the official language of the country in the international context. The Parliament also agreed that the national minority languages (Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli, Romany, Chib and Sámi) must be protected and promoted.
The law makes it clear that "the language of the public services is Swedish" and that "everyone living in Sweden has to be given the opportunity to learn, develop and use" it.
The Act will enter into force on 1 July 2009.
Source: Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity, June 12, 2009 http://www.npld.eu/newsevents/pages/swedenadoptsnewlanguageact.aspx
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